Chapter 457: Power? Nuclear Power!

The conference room was filled with sounds of agreement; everyone raised their hands one after another, the atmosphere so fervent it felt like attending a revolutionary rally. Li Mingyuan looked around at these excited military and technical personnel, unable to help but find it somewhat amusing.

Sure enough, no matter the era, people's enthusiasm for high-tech equipment is always the same. Especially soldiers—the moment they see a weapon that can make the enemy suffer, their eyes light up immediately.

Deputy Commander Liu was even more excited, like a child; he slapped the table in agitation, pointed at the blueprints on the projection, and said to everyone, "Look at this 'Kunpeng'! Brothers, can you imagine the expressions on those bastards from the Star-Spangled Country when they see this thing skimming across the sea surface? Hahaha! They'll definitely be so scared they'll wet their pants!"

The crowd immediately chimed in with laughter, and the entire conference room was permeated with a joy that precedes victory. The technical personnel had already begun frantically recording improvement suggestions on paper, while the Military Representatives were heatedly discussing combat plans.

However, right amidst this lively noise, a calm voice cut in abruptly, like a cold Sharp Knife piercing a balloon of joy.

"Wait, wait!"

The voice came from Chen Gong of the Seventh Institute's Power System Research Office, an old engineer over fifty. He wore his hair in a meticulous slicked-back style, wore thick round-rimmed glasses, and was known in the institute as a "stubborn old mule," as well as an unrivaled authority in the field of power systems.

Everyone's gaze immediately turned toward him. Chen Gong took a deep breath, slowly stood up, his expression serious, his brows tightly locked.

"Chief Engineer Li," he looked straight at Li Mingyuan, his voice calm yet resonant, "this concept is indeed shocking to the world, I admit. But, what about the Power System?"

The joyful atmosphere in the conference room suddenly solidified.

"Such a behemoth," Chen Gong pointed to the parameters on the screen, "a 90-meter wingspan, weighing 6500 tons, and it also needs to maintain high-speed sea-skimming flight at 200 knots... what kind of terrifying thrust would that require? The fuel consumed would be an astronomical figure!"

He pulled a stack of papers from his briefcase, densely covered with calculation data and comparison charts.

"I did a rough calculation," Chen Gong pushed up his glasses, "the Star-Spangled Country's latest 'Forrestal'-class conventionally powered aircraft carrier, with a full-load displacement of over eighty thousand tons, has a power system that consumes hundreds of tons of oil daily!"

He picked up a piece of chalk, walked to the blackboard on the side of the conference room, and quickly wrote down a series of formulas and values.

"Although our 'Kunpeng' is not a giant surface ship, the drag from high-speed flight is far greater than that of surface travel. Calculated by similarity ratio, this behemoth's hourly fuel consumption is at least 15-20 tons! Based on the design range of 6000 kilometers, a single mission would require at least 300-400 tons of fuel!"

Chen Gong turned to face the room full of shocked faces, his tone heavy.

"With our country's current fuel production capacity and logistical supply capabilities, we simply cannot afford such an 'oil-guzzler'! Not to mention the security issues during wartime when fuel is in short supply."

Once these words were spoken, it was like a basin of ice water poured from above, instantly extinguishing the enthusiasm that had just ignited in the conference room. The excited expressions on everyone's faces froze, replaced by realistic worry and heaviness.

Deputy Commander Liu's smile also stiffened on his face; he stared blankly at those cold numbers on the blackboard, as if he had seen the fire of hope that had just risen being ruthlessly extinguished.

"Is it... really not feasible?" he muttered in a low voice, disappointment showing in his eyes.

The conference room was silent; everyone's gaze focused in unison on Li Mingyuan—could this genius who created the "Changfeng" miracle create another miracle and solve this seemingly insurmountable obstacle?

Was this epoch-making concept actually going to fail because of the "food" problem?

Li Mingyuan felt the gazes cast by the crowd, filled with expectation, doubt, and a hint of sympathy—they thought he had been carried away by his own imagination, ignoring the most basic physical limitations of reality.

But Li Mingyuan's expression was beyond everyone's expectations—he had no trace of panic or frustration; instead, the corners of his mouth curled into a calm smile, and a mysterious light flickered in his eyes, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"Chen Gong has asked the key question." Li Mingyuan nodded, his tone impossibly calm, "Indeed, if conventional fuel is used as the power source, this 'Kunpeng' project would be a pipe dream even to take off."

The crowd looked at each other, not understanding why Li Mingyuan could still maintain such a relaxed attitude.

"However," Li Mingyuan's voice suddenly rose an octave, "who said we were going to burn oil?"

"Huh?" Deputy Commander Liu looked confused, "Not burn oil? Then use coal? Or... wind power propulsion?" This joke seemed a bit dry in the tense atmosphere.

Li Mingyuan did not answer directly, but gestured to the assistant behind him. The assistant understood immediately, took a roll of special blue blueprints from a folder, and carefully unfolded them on the conference table.

Everyone subconsciously stood up and crowded around, wanting to see clearly what this mysterious blueprint actually was.

The blueprint was marked with dense parameters and complex circuits, and the central part was a design drawing of an intricately structured device that seemed to shimmer with a cold, metallic luster. A striking "Top Secret" stamp was also on the corner of the blueprint.

"This is..." Professor Zhang of the Seventh Institute squinted his eyes, carefully examining the blueprint, and suddenly gasped, "No... impossible! This looks like..."

Li Mingyuan's voice cut him off decisively: "Nuclear power!"

The entire conference room went terrifyingly quiet; everyone stood frozen in place as if hit by a immobilization spell, their eyes widened larger than copper bells.

"This is the heart that drives the 'Kunpeng'—a miniaturized Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor!" Li Mingyuan ignored the shocked expressions of the crowd, his finger tapping the precise device in the center of the blueprint, his voice firm and confident.

"Nu... nuclear reactor?" Deputy Commander Liu repeated, stuttering, as if he had heard the most incredible words in the world, "You mean... like the atomic bomb from the Star-Spangled Country... that kind of nuclear energy?"

Li Mingyuan nodded: "That's right, that kind of energy. But not used for an explosion, but to produce a continuous and stable energy output."

He pointed to a special design on the blueprint: "Based on the deep improvement of the 'Storm Heart' turbofan technology, combined with the miniaturized nuclear power plant core module I led the design of, we have initially mastered the technology for a micro-ship-airborne nuclear reactor!"

Li Mingyuan looked around, satisfied to see that everyone's face was filled with disbelief and shock.

"Its volume is controllable, and it can be perfectly integrated into the main structure of the 'Kunpeng'. A single refueling can provide surging power for tens of thousands of nautical miles, completely solving the energy bottleneck!"

Chen Gong stumbled to the blueprint, his fingers trembling as he pointed to the design of the nuclear reactor: "Are... are these parameters real? The output power... the cooling system... the core temperature control... have these all been verified?"

Li Mingyuan smiled indifferently: "The nuclear power plant project has already been secretly launched in the Northwest, and one of its primary goals is to forge this 'Micro Sun' for the 'Kunpeng' and even future sea and air forces!"

"My god..." Professor Zhang of the Seventh Institute held onto the edge of the table, looking like he might collapse to the floor at any moment, "You mean... we are not only going to build a Flying Aircraft Carrier, but also install a nuclear reactor on it? This... this is simply..."

"Crazy!" Deputy Commander Liu suddenly shouted, but a fanatical smile bloomed on his face, "It's fucking crazy! A nuclear-powered Flying Aircraft Carrier!"

He almost jumped over to Li Mingyuan and grabbed his shoulders: "Chief Engineer Li, do you know? The nuclear-powered aircraft carriers of those bastards in the Star-Spangled Country are still in the design stage; if we succeed in this step, we can lead them by ten or eight years!"

The atmosphere in the conference room boiled over again, but this time the exclamations were mixed with more uncertainty and worry.

"Wait, this is too risky!" Chen Gong frowned, "How to solve the safety issues of a nuclear reactor? What if there is a leak or an accident..."

"And, the technical difficulty of this kind of miniaturized nuclear reactor is too great," Professor Zhang also said worriedly, "control systems, radiation protection, heat exchange equipment... each one is a huge challenge!"

"Not to mention the stability issues during flight," another engineer interjected, "vibration, impact, and attitude changes during high-speed flight could all affect the normal operation of the reactor."

"And the cooling water circulation system..."

"As well as the emergency shutdown mechanism..."

Various technical questions were thrown out like a barrage, and the conference room became noisy again.

Li Mingyuan stood in the eye of the storm, but his heart was exceptionally calm. He had long expected such a reaction—any revolutionary idea would first experience questioning and opposition before it could be accepted.

Before transmigrating, he had worked in the field of nuclear engineering for several years and had a fairly deep understanding of the basic principles and design of nuclear reactors. Although he could not design a complete nuclear power plant by himself, he had knowledge of the key technologies and safety measures for nuclear power generation that surpassed this era.

Coupled with the prestige and credibility accumulated by the "Changfeng" project, as well as the professional talent recruited subsequently, it was entirely possible to achieve a breakthrough in small nuclear reactors ahead of time in this era.

"Everyone, quiet down." Li Mingyuan raised his voice, and the conference room gradually quieted down, "All the questions you raised are reasonable, and they are also problems we must solve. But please remember, a year ago, when I proposed the 'Changfeng' project, I faced countless questions and challenges, but what was the final result?"

This sentence was like a heavy punch, causing everyone to fall into deep thought. The success of the "Changfeng" Missile had already proven Li Mingyuan's extraordinary ability; who would dare to rashly assert that his new concept was impossible to achieve?

"Nuclear power technology is indeed complex, but it is not out of reach." Li Mingyuan's voice was firm and powerful, "We have already mastered the key technical breakthrough points, and the rest is a matter of engineering implementation."

He turned and walked to the blackboard, erased the fuel consumption calculations written by Chen Gong, and began to draw the basic structure and working principle of the nuclear reactor.

"Look here, the core of a nuclear reactor is a controllable nuclear fission reaction. The nucleus of Uranium-235 splits under neutron bombardment, releasing huge energy and more neutrons, forming a chain reaction. By adjusting the number of neutrons with control rods, we can precisely control the reaction power."

He drew the internal structure of the reactor quickly and accurately, as skillfully as if he had designed it countless times himself.

"Thermal energy is transferred to the heat exchanger through the primary cooling circulation system, generating high-temperature, high-pressure steam to drive the turbine generator set. The electrical energy then powers our improved 'Storm Heart' electric turbofan Engine, providing the thrust required for flight."

Diagrams, data, and calculation formulas flowed from Li Mingyuan's hand like moving clouds and flowing water, and a complete and clear system framework gradually took shape on the blackboard.

The crowd watched all of this in stunned silence; beyond their shock, a sense of reverence welled up—how could this be a mere military designer? He was simply an all-around scientific prodigy!